The Hannity Bump

Hillary Wins! Hillary Wins! Hillary Wins!

Down for the count, going in to the bottom of the ninth, she picked herself off the mat and kept swinging the racket, finally kicking the winning field goal on her way to a big time victory, said the mixed metaphor pundits.

But after being left for dead, just how did she come out on top?

Was it because of her pluck or her luck?

Was it Bill? How about Stephanopoulus?

Nope. Not even close.

The man who swung the big bat that produced the winning margin in Pennsylvania, sending the Obama crowd home dejected was one of Clinton's former worst nightmares. None other than that horrid vast right wing conspiracy all wrapped up in one hunk of Fox manhood.

Little ole Sean Hannity.

You think Colbert's got heat?

Hannity's so hot, you could cook an egg on any one of his twenty-one hours a week on TV and radio.

Bush's Brain?

Try Obama's Pain.

Think Chris Matthews plays hardball?

Try ducking out of the way of one of Hannity's chin high, knock-down,100 mile-per-hour kitchen sink-loaded questions.

He may not have invented talk radio, but Hannity has ushered the talk game into the steroid era. In this election cycle, Hannity has been doing things that politically can only be deemed: unnatural. He's not only batting from the right side of the plate, he batting from the left...and he's doing it AT THE SAME TIME.

He's not only pitching for his team, he's become the designated hitter for the second place team in the other division And he seems to be able to knock it out of the park with one hand on the bat. He's always been a heavy-hitter, but this election, if he isn't swinging a corked bat, this guy has to be on the juice.

Sure, Al Gore was knocked back off the plate with hard up and under the chin, brush back pitches, and John Kerry basically had to play hurt from a severe swift boat knee-capping, but that was just your standard all's fair in love, war and politics gamesmanship. Hannity has pretty much become his enemy's (Hillary's) greatest asset. Think of the Boston Red Sox fans cheering for the Yankees.

"While the left wing moveon.org media fails to do their job," claims Hannity, "all I am doing is trying to get beyond the candidates bumper stickers and slogans and find out as much as possible about the people who want the most important job in the world."

And he's gone yard, touching them all, not only making the Reverend Jeremiah Wright story an albatross around Obama's neck, but personally delivering the William Ayers debate question to George Stephanopoulus.

"The fact that the media was a full year behind us on the Rev. Wright story, and months behind us on the Ayers story speaks for itself, " claims Hannity. "Are the American people better off when they know more or less about the candidates?"

Democrats may think that Hillary Clinton's continued run for the big prize may be just a waste of time, Sean Hannity Bonds knows that it ain't over until it's over...and that means, if not a Hillary win, a battle-scarred Obama, having to go extra-innings in the Democratic playoff, will be limping into the November World Series with his best hitters and pitchers on the injured list.

It seems like only yesterday that conservative talk radio did everything it could to knock John McCain out of the race, and Hillary Clinton's loss was a forgone conclusion. Today, if Pennsylvania is any indication and Sean Hannity swinging the lumber, January may mean a walk off grand slam for right wing talk and McCain.

Look, I'm a confirmed, card-carrying liberal who's probably filled more column space with anti -right wing radio rants - including royally slamming Hannity - than anyone else on the literary planet, so don't take this as in no way am I condoning Hannity's tact. But I'm also a Philadelphia 76ers fan. And as much as I remember hating Larry Bird when the Celtics came into town, there's no doubt I would have loved having him on my team. I might not be happy with his approach, but winning the championship and watching the victory parade sure beats the hell out of whining "wait till next year (four years)."

Steve Young is an award-winning TV writer and author of Great Failures of the Extremely Successful www.greatfailure.com

Comments

[katefranklin]

I find it painfully amusing that Republicans are the only ones who seem to know that Obama is the nominee. I listen to right-wing radio for oppo, and Clinton's name is scarcely even mentioned. The plight of the Democratic front-runner that must combat attacks from two incoming parties: GOP (Grand Old Party) and GOC (Grand Old Clintons).

[Gibbons]

Any one who listens to right wing talk radio surely doesn't have much to do.

[redmanrt]

I find Hannity's fixation on Obama, to the virtual exclusion of Clinton, to be not in the country's interest. The Clintons have the proven track record of corruption and contempt for our institutions. Obama could never do the damage the Clintons will do it they get back in. What is Hannity's interest in all of this? Hedging his bets just in case Hillary becomes president?

[connorin]

redmanrt-

Hannity has spent YEARS listing the faults of all things (and people) named Clinton. However, since very little actual items about Obama have been out in the media except for that thrill running up Chris Matthews' leg, he has been looking into the details of the man. Heck, Hannity brought up Rev Wright A YEAR BEFORE THE STORY BROKE IN THE MSM!

[Fairmind]

Hannity and his friends at Fox News are responsible for all this controversy about
Rev. Wright. knowing that it would drag down Senator Obama's ratings. Hannity said he kept the tape in his bottom drawer to use at the appropriate time. I believe their tactic is to have Hillary and John McCain in the race. Hillary (with all her lies) is
their choice in case John McCain does not win. As a former viewer of Hannity's
show, I am deeply disappointed in this network.

[Exit]

Sean Hannity is a verbal terrorist.

[connorin]

you mean unlike the hate mongers at err amerika & dncnbc & cnn...those bastions of liberal "tolerance"

[Gibbons]

So will the Obama bashing stop when he is the nominee? It hasn't even started yet. When Bill Clinton won the first time the republicans opened a "STOP Hillary" website and people like Rush Limbaugh and Anne Coulter started writing and teling lies about her Ann Coulter writes a book and everything she says about Hillary is something out of context she doesn't use footnotes but uses end notes and when a Hillary hater reads what they wanted to hear they didn't bother to look up the end note. It seems as though the Obama supporters are still using these lies at every opportunity.

[connorin]

Gosh and eople like KO and Maddow outright lie, take partial quotes and quotes out of context to tell you the lies of the day and you're ok with that?

[Gibbons]

Early on Karl Rove told Obama and Edwards to attack Clinton and in the first Philadelphia debate they had that famous pile on. John McCain begged the north Carolina republicans not to run that ad about because he is sure he can beat Obama. You seem to be getting your information from Rush Limbaugh who is a big fat idiot according to Al Franken's book.

[BigRube]

Between Rush A. Limbaugh's operation Chaos and all of Sean A. Hannity's hatrid BS people would be better off not to even vote this year. They run this country now and all of their looney listeners will believe any garbage that they spew out. This country is in bad shape because of them and all of the MSM garbage that is being dictated to the American people. Just pure garbage.

I have gotten so mad at Rush A. Limbaugh and Sean A. Hannity that I made up some bumper stickers that say Rush A. Limbaugh SUX and Sean A. Hannity SUX and you know what they are catching on because I seeing a few more car's with them on.

God Bless this country but we are in a world of hurt because of these idiots.

[redmanrt]

Finally someone else recognizes the wierdness of Hannity's behavior, trashing Obama as though he (Hannity) were working for Hillary. I think his main concern is putting on a good show.

[Gibbons]

Wrong it wasn't Hannity it was none other than Mr. Obama himself talking down the working people of America of course this is also the first election after his preacher became infamous also.

[SaddieMcCall]

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?videoId=1fd1c0cf-5c80-4d75-996f-bd53b2461ae0&sMPlaylistID

It might be a good thing for someone to make soundbyte clips of people like Jesus and showing how crazy they might sound or look if a montage of soundbytes were made.

[Gibbons]

The republicans who think they have a hammerlock on God probably think of Jesus as a bleeding heart liberal which is what I have always been proud to be.

[Countess]

Right wing talk radio is pushing hard for Hillary Clinton everyday and the more she sounds like Bush on foreign policy the more they love her. She has become the neocon queen and her vulgar vile campaign is what they love. I hope the Clinton supporters are proud of their candidate for unifying the worst elements in both parties to make America a worse place.

[SaddieMcCall]

It makes one wonder why the Republicans would try so hard to help out The Clintons, and to defeat Obama during the Primary. Since when does the Republicans want the Democrats to have the stronger candidate to compete against?

Hillary doesn't care, she wants to be President, any way she can get there.

[Cyndee1113]

The republicans don't care about Hillary. They are going to use what she has done to Obama against her if she wins the nomination. They need to get rid of Obama first. The man is trying to bring people together. They can't allow it. People that love Hillary, actually love what she is doing to Obama because it is not being done to their candidate. I cannot blame them because if the heat was on Hillary, I would not say anything either.

We allow Hannity to do what he is doing to Obama. He has made bashing Obama his life's work and his ratings are high. If people don't like it then do something about it. It is only going to get worse if Obama makes it to the GE, and if Hillary makes it her supporters will make sure that Hannity shuts up.